Star-Lite Drive-In
4888 N. Fresno Street,
Fresno,
CA
93726
4888 N. Fresno Street,
Fresno,
CA
93726
1 person
favorited this theater
The Star-lite Drive-In was opened by Robert L. Lippert Theatres in 1949. Growing up in 1950’s and 1960’s Fresno, the Star-Lite Drive-In was my neighborhood drive-in, a scant mile from my house. It was notable for being the only drive-in in town, at the time, with two screens (north and south). The two screens usually showed different programs.
Located near the corners of N. Fresno Street and E. Shaw Avenue, with the main entrance on N. Fresno Street, the Star-Lite Drive-In was Fresno’s premier drive-in during the 1950’s. It was closed in 1978 and soon demolished. Today it is the site of the Fashion Fair Mall, one of Fresno’s most popular shopping centers.
As a precocious teen, I once stowed a friend in my car’s trunk on a night when he, nor I, had admission money for the both of us. Safely inside the drive-in, I realized that I didn’t have the trunk key. Hilarity and irate parents ensued.
Contributed by
Christopher Stone
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
The Starlite Drive-In was also known as the Starlite North & South Drive-In. It was located at 4888 North Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93726. The car capacity was 586 cars.
It was operated by Pacific Theatres.
This was a Robert Lippert theater in the early 1960s. At that time it was called the Starlite Motor-In.
Here is a June 1973 ad from the Fresno Bee:
http://tinyurl.com/m22eu4
The Star-Lite Drive-In was closed in 1978 and demolished to make way for a shopping center. Prior to the closing, Boxoffice of January 2, 1978 published this article (upper right) about Pacific’s plans to build the four-screen Woodward Park Drive-In to replace the Star-Lite.
in the 1981 topo maps it still lists a drive-in theater where the starlite was. very very weird.
1972 aerial uploaded here. notice the new mall next to the drive-in!
Boxoffice, July 4, 1953: “FRESNO, CALIF. – The new Starlite Drive-In Theatre was opened recently at Fresno and Shaw avenues, claiming to be the largest ozoner on the west coast. It has two screens visible from any location, has spaces for 1,500 cars, and features first run pictures. The Starlite twin-view airer is a Robert L. Lippert project. It has two boxoffices and two entrance roads.”
The address is correct, so I’d guess that the 1953 “opening” was for its second screen.
Boxoffice, April 2, 1949: “FRESNO, CALIF. – The $110,000 Starlite Drive-In, being constructed on North Fresno street between Gettysburg and Shaw avenues here, is scheduled to open between May 1 and May 15. Built on an eight-acre site with space for approximately 600 cars, the Starlite is a Robert L. Lippert Co. project”